(Rogersville, MO) - People often mistake alpacas for llamas. While they are related, along with camels, alpacas are one third the size of a llama. It's an animal that has been bred for fiber for more than 4,000 years.
Morning Moon Alpaca Farm is owned by Mike and Dianne Six and they have 67 alpacas.
Alpacas come from Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. There are more than 8,000 alpaca farms in the U.S.
The owners say alpaca fiber is almost ten times warmer than sheep's wool. Dianne Six, a seasoned knitter, came across alpaca fiber fifteen years ago and fell in love with it.
"It just has this wonderful, luxurious feel to it, and the fact that you an take something really, really light and have it still be really warm -- 7 to 10 times warmer than sheep's wool, so you don't have to wear some big heavy, bulky sweater in order to stay warm," she says.
She brought the fiber to her husband and asked him what he thought it was.
"I guessed angora, cashmere, and she said, no it's alpaca, and I went what's an alpaca?" says Mike Six.
They decided to invest in their own alpaca farm because they love the animals and their fiber. They say it's hard not too.
"They are easy to care for, they're strong and peaceful, docile animals," Mike says.
Alpacas are becoming popular world-wide. There are now alpacas in 16 countries and counting.
"U.S. being number one outside of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, and we only have about a little more than half a million alpacas in the U.S. and growing," he says.
There are only a few imported alpacas that are still alive in this country.
"Alpacas stopped being imported in 1998 so those animals that came in that were young, maybe babies, or a couple of years old are still alive today but all the alpacas in the U.S. otherwise are American," Mike says.
Besides clothing, Mike Six says alpaca fiber is great if you have allergies.
"Most people that are allergic to sheep's wool or other types of animal fiber are not allergic to alpaca and that's the real key to alpaca fiber," he says.
Although they don't eat their alpacas, he says some people use them for food.
"In South America, and other places around the world, they actually eat them and there are places in the U.S. where they are eaten," Mike says.
And they are even good for fertilizer. But the fiber is really what people use them for.
"The clothing is the big thing from them, from their fiber, each animal will produce anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds of usable fiber," he says.
Not only because it keeps people warm, but because it's a really sturdy fiber despite being soft. A man who got his sweater in the 1930's still has it.
"He'd been issued a sweater in World War II and it was alpaca and he brought it to us to repair for him, because he still had it," Diane says.
Morning Moon Alpaca Farm is owned by Mike and Dianne Six and they have 67 alpacas.
Alpacas come from Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. There are more than 8,000 alpaca farms in the U.S.
The owners say alpaca fiber is almost ten times warmer than sheep's wool. Dianne Six, a seasoned knitter, came across alpaca fiber fifteen years ago and fell in love with it.
"It just has this wonderful, luxurious feel to it, and the fact that you an take something really, really light and have it still be really warm -- 7 to 10 times warmer than sheep's wool, so you don't have to wear some big heavy, bulky sweater in order to stay warm," she says.
She brought the fiber to her husband and asked him what he thought it was.
"I guessed angora, cashmere, and she said, no it's alpaca, and I went what's an alpaca?" says Mike Six.
They decided to invest in their own alpaca farm because they love the animals and their fiber. They say it's hard not too.
"They are easy to care for, they're strong and peaceful, docile animals," Mike says.
Alpacas are becoming popular world-wide. There are now alpacas in 16 countries and counting.
"U.S. being number one outside of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, and we only have about a little more than half a million alpacas in the U.S. and growing," he says.
There are only a few imported alpacas that are still alive in this country.
"Alpacas stopped being imported in 1998 so those animals that came in that were young, maybe babies, or a couple of years old are still alive today but all the alpacas in the U.S. otherwise are American," Mike says.
Besides clothing, Mike Six says alpaca fiber is great if you have allergies.
"Most people that are allergic to sheep's wool or other types of animal fiber are not allergic to alpaca and that's the real key to alpaca fiber," he says.
Although they don't eat their alpacas, he says some people use them for food.
"In South America, and other places around the world, they actually eat them and there are places in the U.S. where they are eaten," Mike says.
And they are even good for fertilizer. But the fiber is really what people use them for.
"The clothing is the big thing from them, from their fiber, each animal will produce anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds of usable fiber," he says.
Not only because it keeps people warm, but because it's a really sturdy fiber despite being soft. A man who got his sweater in the 1930's still has it.
"He'd been issued a sweater in World War II and it was alpaca and he brought it to us to repair for him, because he still had it," Diane says.
